Component or full protocol
Mytocel MSK is the cell component on its own. NanoACi is the full injection protocol Professor Paul Lee performs, taking the same cells plus a scaffold and PRF. Here is how to choose between the two.
Reviewed byProfessor Paul Lee MBBch, FRCS (Tr & Orth), PhDCartilage and joint preservation expertiseMytocel MSK is the cell component on its own, a lighter-touch injection from £3,000 for earlier wear. NanoACi is the full injection protocol Professor Lee performs: the same Mytocel MSK micrografts (the seed), plus a ChondroFiller scaffold (the soil) and PRF (the fertiliser), delivered together in one session for £8,000. Think of it as stepping up from the component to the full protocol.
Both are genuine options at London Cartilage Clinic. One gives you the cells; the other gives you the cells with a scaffold and growth signals around them.
| What to compare | NanoACi | Mytocel MSK |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The full injection protocol Professor Lee performs | The cell component on its own |
| What is delivered | Your own cells (the Mytocel MSK micrografts), a ChondroFiller scaffold and PRF | Your own cells, as living micrografts |
| Seed, soil and fertiliser | All three, delivered together in one session | The seed alone, the cells themselves |
| Best suited to | When a scaffold and growth signals add value alongside the cells | Earlier, lighter wear where the cells alone can do the work |
| Sessions | One session, no surgery | One session, no surgery |
| Cost at the clinic | £8,000, or £8,500 all-inclusive | From £3,000 |
Both are offered at London Cartilage Clinic; this is a genuine choice between the component and the full protocol, not a takedown of either.
The key distinction is not simply which injection is “stronger”; it is what material is used, how it is prepared and what clinical problem the treatment is intended to address.
The simplest way to hold the two in mind: Mytocel MSK is the seed on its own, and NanoACi is the seed with the soil and the fertiliser around it. Professor Lee performs NanoACi as a single protocol, taking the same micrografts and delivering them with a ChondroFiller scaffold and PRF in one session. For earlier wear the cells alone may be enough; where a scaffold and growth signals add value, stepping up to the full protocol makes sense. Because we offer both, the consultation is a genuine question of what your joint needs.
Mytocel MSK is the cell component on its own: your own cells, prepared into living micrografts and injected in one session, at its strongest for earlier wear. NanoACi is the full injection protocol Professor Lee performs, taking those same micrografts (the seed) and delivering them with a ChondroFiller scaffold (the soil) and PRF from your own blood (the fertiliser) in a single session. It is a step up from the component to the full protocol.
Yes. The Mytocel MSK micrografts are the cell component inside NanoACi. NanoACi is a technique Professor Lee performs, not a product: he adds a ChondroFiller scaffold and PRF to the same cells, so the cells arrive with the structure and the growth signals that help new tissue take.
When a scaffold and growth signals add value for your joint. If the wear is more than earlier, lighter change, the fuller protocol gives the cells somewhere to build (the ChondroFiller scaffold) and a signal to build with (PRF). For earlier, lighter wear, or where budget is a factor, Mytocel MSK on its own may be enough. Suitability is confirmed on imaging and examination.
Mytocel MSK is from £3,000, the same across joints. NanoACi is £8,000, or £8,500 all-inclusive, which covers an MRI scan, your consultation, the NanoACi session and a follow-up. You are paying for the fuller protocol: the same cells, plus a scaffold and PRF, delivered together. See the NanoACi cost page.
That is a conversation for your consultation rather than a fixed rule. For earlier wear, Mytocel MSK on its own is a sensible first step. If your joint would benefit from a scaffold and growth signals, Professor Lee may recommend the fuller NanoACi protocol from the outset. To check where you sit, see who NanoACi is for.
Still have more specific concerns?
Free Discovery CallOptions that our doctors may discuss include NanoACi, ChondroFiller, Mytocel MSK, joint replacement, established conservative care or surgery, depending on examination and imaging.
The fairest next step is a review of your imaging. Start with a free discovery call, or book a consultation with Professor Lee, who will set out whether Mytocel MSK on its own or the fuller NanoACi protocol fits your joint.
London Cartilage Clinic
Clinical updates, cartilage treatment guidance, and recovery-focused articles from our specialist team.
Cartilage MRI reports describe anatomy but rarely include measured lesion area—the figure most determining treatment strategy. Defects below 2–4 cm² are typically managed with bone-marrow stimulation or cartilage grafting; larger injuries favour cell-based implantation.
Inside-knee pain without swelling signals early cartilage damage that progressively widens through ordinary walking unless treated — marking a closing intervention window. ChondroFiller, a collagen scaffold injected under ultrasound, protects the defect and recruits the body's own repair cells.
ChondroFiller injection, an injectable collagen scaffold that recruits progenitor cells to form cartilage-like tissue, delivers functional gains of approximately 30 IKDC points in advanced knee osteoarthritis — meaningful improvement that defers rather than cancels joint replacement.
